Hoop Dreams

Two young men in Chicago hope basketball will take them to college and then to the professional game. The camera follows them for five years. The documentary becomes an examination of a system more than a sports story; the narrative gives private school scholarships, family finances and college recruiting equal weight. Nobody's plan goes as expected and the film does not try to tidy that. Steve James directed. Despite running close to three hours it reached a wide audience, and its absence from the documentary nominations caused argument at the time; it was nominated for editing. Who it's for: those who like long-form documentary and social narrative. Who it's not for: viewers coming for basketball; the weight here is on school and home.